The Rider
by DuffJessica
Summary: The hellmouth is threatened and only a fallen angel can seal it for good. The human is broken but the spirit moves to fight on and a witch is caught in the balance.


A/N: This was supposed to be the first chapter of a story by GhostRider'sAngel called The Darkest Angel. I volunteered to beta read this story but I ended up completely re-writing it. I have posted it to my profile because I feel like myself and GRA are trying to go in two different directions with this story and I wanted to give it my own stamp. So here it is, please let me know if I should write more of this. Read and Review please.

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider especially since the IP is hotly contested.

The Rider

Chapter 1: The Cube

Pain seared his skin and electricity arched up his spine. Days and months were lost to darkness and agony. The cold black stone beneath him burned his skin as circular patterns pulsated with power. His knowledge of the supernatural was extensive but not even he knew what these symbols meant. Each wall of his perfectly square cell contained what looked like a concentric circle of runes. Every few minutes they flared bright orange and his whole body was filled with unbearable pain. While the ruins were brightest he could see his cell clearly. There were no bars no windows and no doors. No way of escape unless he could get his other self to emerge. When he slept, which wasn't ever for very long, his vision was filled with hell fire lashing through his subconscious like whips attacking a lion. Right before being woken yet again by the torturous runes he could just barely see the silhouette of a woman with fiery hair.

Thunder could be heard in the periphery and lightning flashed illuminating the dark underbelly of inky black clouds. The animal life in the city was silent. It was as if the world was holding its breath, not daring to make a sound.

Being careful to not walk through the dark puddles of water two women picked their way over waterlogged cardboard boxes and old newspapers. The two individuals starkly contrasted each other. One was rather short with blonde hair and firm well-toned muscles. The other was taller but not un-average with bright red hair.

"Where is this place?" The blonde asked out loud.

The red head frowned in thought, looking around the alleyway. "I don't know," she sighed, "I've only seen the building in a dream. I thought it would be in the warehouse district since most of these buildings are abandoned."

The blonde nodded, and frowned as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"What is it, Buffy?" The red headed witched asked.

"Nothing," Buffy responded, but she could feel the distinct presence of another being. They were being followed she was sure of it.

They walked until they came to a dark double story building. Once this had been a factory, but what interested them were the huge steel doors. A large lock had been placed between them.

"I can't break this Willow," Buffy said after trying to strain the metal with her hands.

The witch walked up to the lock and tried to force the lock open with magic but her spell just dissolved around it. The protection charm shattered easily when Willow tried to dispel it. The lock fell harmlessly to the ground. The magic would have kept out most minor magicians but nothing as powerful as the white witch.

The large doors opened easily to the vampire slayer and both entered the building cautiously. The interior was mostly empty, whatever equipment that had been in the building having been removed. The only object in the room was a large onyx cube.

Willow approached the cube keeping a safe distance. The object was giving off such strong magic that both witch and slayer could feel its negative energy.

Looking to her friend the witch began emphatically pointing at the offending object. "Do you realize what this is?" Willow exclaimed both excited and terrified.

Buffy shook her head no even though something like recognition was brushing over her memory.

"This" Willow pointed "Is a primordium cube!"

The blonde's eyes grew almost comically wide as she turned her full attention to the offending structure. She knew from a combination of the watcher's diaries and other more obscure texts that a primordium cube was a prison created by the old ones to hold their worst enemies. Whatever had been placed in the cube was so powerful not even a god could destroy it, at least not permanently.

Looking back at her friend Buffy wondered "Is it a friend?"

Willow focused on the surface of the cube. "I'm not certain; whoever put it here wanted it out of the way." She turned back to her friend "If it was a big bad in there surely they would have been placed in a more secure location than a warehouse in Prague."

Buffy nodded her head in agreement. If it had been her, or any of the other hunters she knew, this cube would be on the moon or the bottom of the ocean. A big bad though might have thought their plan of destruction so full proof that they needn't bother. Most of her bigger enemies had been reckless and sure of themselves.

"So" the slayer started to say. "Do we open it?"

Willow bit the corner of her lip an obvious sign to her friends that she was conflicted. For several weeks now the creature in this cage had screamed out to her in her dreams. She saw how tortured he was and how much pain he was in. She also knew that he was dark, much darker than even she had been at her lowest. He had blood on his hands. His soul was practically dripping with the blood of others. Even then she could sense that he was a man divided, he was of two minds. The human in him wanted to give up. He had done too much and caused too much pain. He wanted the agony to end even if that meant his death. The part of him that wasn't human wanted revenge, justice was the sole unbridled driving force in its existence.

Without speaking the young witch stepped closer to the onyx prison and placed both hands softly against its smooth surface. She didn't say a spell or incantation and yet something imperceptible passed between Willow and the cube. Within seconds all the heat in the room was gone and the cool black stone shifted and began turning orange then red as if it had been placed in a furnace.

The red glowing surface of the cube became hazy and through it Willow could see the shape of a man. The figure was standing tall his posture relaxed. Willow's gaze was drawn to his head as it lacked any human features except the shape of a skull. The read walls around him began to turn to fire and the flames seemed drawn to him as they wrapped themselves around him like a warm blanket. After a moment a burst of energy exploded out from his head as it was consumed by fire. It was only after his head had caught fire that life could be seen in his eyes.

Staring into the empty sockets Willow became lost as her past and all of her mistakes flashed before her eyes until there was only darkness.


End file.
